with posture stately and steady pace
and arse of trousers competing
for brilliance with black saddle
Toby behind high handles commanded
a Rudge grandchild to penny-farthing
adapted to accommodate uneven legs
left shot shorter by a Black ‘n’ Tan
hunter during the Troubles
Alexander on Bucephalus
ten thousand days conquered potholes
downpours and punctures across two parishes
on nodding terms with badgers
sniffing the morning out
with otters fishing at the sluice
was the moving road and passing hedge
plush and bare in warm and hard
the constant Hermes of penmanship
and five pound notes from Martin in Liverpool
of parcels with scented clothes from Baltimore
to Freeman’s ten children
defender of the sanctity of the bag against
mug of tea and drop of the hard stuff inducements
victor in kitchen skirmishes to keep skeleton keys out
seducer of me with a sticky bullseye
every time i answered the tinkling summons
and cantered to the gate to save him the trudge to the door
thankful eye twinkling and delivering voice
precise with good tidings great joy
johnpoetflanagan 
I guess there are a few jovial chaps left. Not so many round these parts on a cold, wet morning though!
Thank you, Chris.
Toby is one of the great memories of my childhood,
a man always with a smile on his face who made little
of his disability – in his youth shot and left for dead
in a drain by the black ‘n’ Tans, his leg damaged permanently.
He was a local hero and much loved.
When he retired after 30 years’ service they replaced him
with a van and a snot-nose driver who made everyone feel they owed him a living.
john
You’ve conjured up another world for me this morning; what a wonderful opening sentence! Thank you for sharing.
Rebecca
Thank you for your excellent support and encouragement
My best to You
john
Great playful words as always! Thank you for sharing your wonderful writing piece 🙂 ❤
Thank You, Indah
thank you so much
Always
bapak john
Sniffing the morning out” – Good one!
Bruce,
Thank you
john
Beautiful ‘homage’ to a memorable character and his time – recollected humour and tenderness. This poem sums-up an era, now departed but so evocative and heartwarming, as conjured through your inimitable insights. I constantly marvel at the seeming-simplicity of your subject matter, quite epic in your skilful hands.
An excellent response
Dear Angela
and i thank You so much
with lots of love
john
A poetic journey, indeed… I like the poem and the way some interesting elements and references show up here… It makes it very intriguing….
I hope you are doing very well, dear John… I am sending you love and all my best wishes!. Aquileana 😀
Thank you
Dear Aquileana
for the fine response;
for now, the sciatica is ‘behaving’ but that’s
no guarantee it will stay quiet…fingers crossed
with love
john
Anyone named Toby is bound to be jovial, it comes with the territory. I had a collectible porcelain “Toby”, big red cheeks, twinkling eyes, a mug of beer, if I still had him I would send you a pic! I truly enjoyed this. Wishing you health and happiness John. Love, Holly
Thank you, Holly.
Yes, those old Toby jugs and mugs bring back memories,
my grandmother had one at one time but what happened to it?
Where’s the snow that fell last year?
You are such support.
with lots of love
john
I think mine got broken in one of my many moves.
So much is ‘lost in translation’ in so many ways
thank you John, that’s so true. Hope you are having a fine day!
First rate homage thoroughly deserved.
Harry
It is so wonderful to be a child. I am not missing anything in my life but my childhood.
The Tobies are long gone and we will not see the likes of them again, our loss. The plastic people have displaced them or replaced them. Civility and duty coupled with an honest desire to serve and earn their compensation a characteristic whose value has been elided by the generation of non human personalities. There were many Tobies in various careers in the rural town of my youth. Regrettably none survive to serve as examples of a more compassionate time. Thank you for providing me with a mechanism to kindly recall those childhood heroes. Ever your friend, Jon Michael
You’re absolutely right
Jon, My Friend
the Tobies of the world are gone and gone forever
and as you rightly say, our loss.
Ever Your Friend
john